


It takes two (to make a house a home)

by brilliantbanshee



Series: Tumblr Prompt Series - 911: Lone Star [7]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Established Relationship, I tried to make it funny, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt, and soft, banter happens, but also kind of funny?, relationship milestone, super fluffy, they're so in love it's gross
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:22:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26206369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brilliantbanshee/pseuds/brilliantbanshee
Summary: 48. “I took your hoodie, and you’re not getting it back.”--TK's hoodie is missing, and Carlos has a question to ask.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Tumblr Prompt Series - 911: Lone Star [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1844083
Comments: 12
Kudos: 192
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand





	It takes two (to make a house a home)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt fill for an anon on tumblr who requested #48: “I took your hoodie, and you’re not getting it back.”
> 
> As promised this is happy and fluffy to make up for the [horribly depressing one](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25926823) I posted a little while ago. 
> 
> In a move that surprises no one, the title is from Shakey Graves (Dearly Departed).

TK swears under his breath as he searches his locker yet again and still can’t find what he is looking for. He could have sworn that it was in here. It definitely hadn’t been in his closet this morning. He picks up his phone and dials without looking - it’s always the same number at the top of his recent calls list. He tucks the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he rifles through the locker one more time - just in case. 

When the person on the other end picks up, TK asks his question without introduction: ”Have you seen my yellow hoodie?”

**“I took your hoodie, and you’re not getting it back.”**

TK pauses in his searching, “Wait, are you for real?”   


“Mhm,” Carlos confirms, “I am holding it for ransom.” 

TK sits back on the bench in the middle of the rows of lockers and chuckles, “I’m surprised at you Officer, turning to a life of crime?” 

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Carlos agreed gravely, “I’ve hardly seen you at all this week; I am willing to go to extremes. If the hoodie doesn’t work, I am dognapping Buttercup next.” 

“There’s no need to get the dog involved. What are your demands?” 

“You, here tonight for dinner.” 

“I can make that work, I suppose.” To tell the truth, it had been a long shift and he had been planning on getting some takeout before going to bed early, but dinner with Carlos sounded far more appealing, “See you in 20 minutes?” 

“Come alone, or the hoodie gets it.” 

“Understood. I love you.” 

“Love you too. But you’d better hurry - the clock is ticking.” 

With that final warning, the line went dead and TK laughed to himself again. He still didn’t know what he had ever done to deserve someone like Carlos, but he would forever be grateful that they had found each other. He’s still shaking his head as he shuts his locker (now thoroughly destroyed from his harried but unnecessary searches) and bids goodbye to the rest of his team. After a quick stop in his dad’s office to let him know not to expect him tonight, he is on his way to Carlos’s. 

When he arrives he lets himself in and is about to call out for Carlos when he looks up to find the man in question leaning against the kitchen counter with a sly grin. 

“I’m going to need proof of life before this goes any further,” TK declares as he drops his bag next to his shoes and crosses to the kitchen to greet Carlos with a kiss. 

When they pull apart, Carlos steps aside to reveal TK’s yellow hoodie folded neatly on the counter. TK raised an eyebrow, “did you really steal it? How did you even manage that without me noticing?”

“I didn’t have to steal it; you left it here.”

“Now  _ that _ makes more sense.” 

“What,” Carlos said, face morphing into an expression of mock offense, “you don’t think I could steal something?” 

“Of course you could babe,” TK said smoothly, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek, “I believe in you and support you. Forgetting something here does seem pretty normal for me though. I think more of my clothes are here than my actual home these days.” 

Carlos pulls away, expression suddenly shifting, “That’s actually kind of what I wanted to talk to you about tonight, actually.” 

TK freezes in the process of picking up his hoodie, “What? Is my stuff here a problem? I’m sorry, I don’t want to be in your way; I’ll get rid of some of it.” 

“No TK, that’s not it.” 

TK continued speaking, oblivious to Carlos’s objections. “You’re right, it was presumptuous of me to leave so much stuff here. This is your house, I shouldn’t have done that without asking you.” 

“TK,” Carlos said more forcefully, finally drawing TK’s attention to him, “that’s not what I’m saying.” 

“Then what are you saying, Carlos?” he asked hesitantly. 

Carlos sighed, “Can this conversation wait until dinner?” he pleaded. 

TK stood up straighter, “If you have something you need to say to my Carlos just say it - I can take it.” 

Carlos looked over at the counter, “This isn’t how I wanted to do this,” he said mournfully, “I made lasagna.” 

“Whatever you need to say, just say it and I’ll get out of your hair.” 

Carlos turned back to face TK sharply, “Wh-what do you mean get out of my hair? I thought we were having dinner?” he said with uncertainty, a frown spreading across his face. 

“There’s no need to let me down easy Carlos, I don’t need dinner to soften the blow.”

Carlos was beginning to look genuinely perplexed, “soften what blow?”

“If you’re breaking up with me just say it.” 

Carlos stares at him for several long, heart-stopping moments. The quiet stretches through the room and is enough to twist TK’s heart in his chest. He had always known this was all too good to be true, that it was only a matter of time. 

“Break up with you?” Carlos eventually splutters, “Why would I break up with you? You are quite literally the best thing that has ever happened to me TK. I would be the worst kind of fool to break up with you. Where is this even coming from? Wait,” he said, his face paling, “do  _ you _ want to break up?” 

“What? No!” TK exclaims, “You just happen to be the best thing that has happened to me, Carlos Reyes. I still have a hard time believing I could ever get this lucky. Why on earth would I break up with you?!” 

They stare at each other for a few more seconds before Carlos speaks again.

“So,” he began, “just to clarify, neither one of us wants to break up?” 

“Definitely not,” TK responded decisively. 

“Okay,” Carlos replies with visible relief, sinking back onto the counter, “that’s good because I really didn’t want to do that.” 

TK mirrored him, his body sagging in relief as he leaned against the counter. “That past 30 or so seconds easily ranks in the top 10 worst moments of my life,” he agreed. 

Carlos shook his head, “I can’t believe that you thought I wanted to break up with you. Who makes lasagna to dump somebody?” 

“I don’t know!” TK exclaimed indignantly, “but you were acting weird, and I panicked! Besides, how am I supposed to know what you consider a good break up food?”

“For the record, lasagna is not a good break up food.” 

“Is there a good break up food?” 

“Yes,” Carlos said with such certainty that TK cocked an eyebrow. He considered asking, but thought better of it. 

“What is all this anyway? Why the scheme?” he asked instead, glancing around at the elegantly set table and incongruous yellow hoodie still resting on the counter. 

“I just wanted to ask you to move in,” Carlos said with a shrug. “I had this whole plan - the meal, a speech, it was a whole thing.”

A sharp intake of breath causes Carlos to turn to look at TK. His boyfriend is staring back at him, an unreadable expression on his face. “What did you just say?” he asks in a faint voice. 

Carlos frowned at him, “I had a plan?”

“No,” TK shakes his head, “before that. What did you want to ask?”

Carlos stared at him for a fraction of a second before the realization dawns on him. “I am a dumbass,” he declares mournfully. 

“No,” TK disagrees, doing his best to suppress a laugh, “You are not. You are a very intelligent and thoughtful person...who got a little flustered.” 

“That’s your fault you know. You always have the power to make me flustered, Ty.” 

“Don’t change the subject,” TK demanded, but the severity of his tone was lessened by the blush that was beginning to creep across his cheeks, “I believe you still have something to ask me.” 

“Did I? I don’t recall that.” 

Carlos laughed as TK swatted at him and grinned before turning to face him. TK followed suit, turning his body so he was facing Carlos. He locked eyes with him and resisted the urge to get lost in the depth and warmth of those eyes. He had a question he needed to hear first. “Ask me,” he repeated. 

“Tyler Kennedy Strand - would you stop leaving some of your stuff here and just move it all here? I have ample closet space to offer and all I ask in return is that you spend every night with me, and wake up beside me every day.” 

TK pretended to consider, “can you clarify ‘ample’?” 

Carlos narrowed his eyes at him and TK laughed, before reaching out to pull him in for a kiss. It was deep and lingering, hungry, and familiar. It was like home. 

When they pulled apart and TK found his breath, he gave his answer: “I find your terms acceptable, Carlos Reyes. I would very much like to move in with you and wake up beside you every day for as long as we have.” 

They shared a smile and Carlos leaned forward to give TK another kiss. This one is shorter, less heated than the first but what it lacks in passion it makes up for in warmth. 

This is the kiss he could get used to giving every day, he thinks. 

TK tries to deepen the kiss and as much as Carlos  _ wants  _ to give in (his entire body is practically screaming for it), he pulls away. 

TK makes a distressed noise and pouts at him. Carlos rolls his eyes fondly, “as much as I love kissing you,” he explained, “I have a feeling that another kiss might lead to rather more and as much as I also love that, I made dinner and it’s getting cold.” 

“Fine,” TK huffed, “but only because I love your lasagna.”

They set about preparing for dinner before eventually settling at the table. TK raises an eyebrow at the new candlesticks prominently placed in the center of the table, “You really went all out for this, didn’t you?”

Carlos shrugged sheepishly, “There is a possibility I was nervous and overcompensating by overplanning so I didn’t have time to dwell on it.” 

“Why were you so nervous?” TK asked with a frown, “Did you really think I was going to say no?” 

“No, not exactly. But all the same, we don’t have the best track record with elaborate dinner plans, you may recall.” TK winced, but nodded. Carlos considered for a moment before speaking again, “Why do big plans never work for us?”

TK looked up from his plate in surprise, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, every time I try to make a fancy dinner to make a statement, it doesn’t work out. When you tried to surprise me with a fancy dinner out for our anniversary we both got called back into work because of that accident. We keep trying to do these special things, and they never work. Why?”

The silence stretched again as TK considered. It didn't feel harsh or uncomfortable though - nothing at Carlos’s house ever had. No, not Carlos’s house - his house. Their house. This was his home now and TK was pretty sure he would never get sick of thinking that. 

“My dad has always talked about grand gestures,” TK finally said when he managed to pull his thoughts back to the question at hand, “but I don’t think they ever worked much for him. I know they historically haven’t worked well for me, so maybe they’re just not all they’re cracked up to be. Maybe it’s the little moments that matter for us.”

Carlos smiled at him and reached across the table to grab his hand. “That’s good, because I think we’re on the road to a lot more of those.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Want more? Come [send me](https://brilliantbanshee.tumblr.com/) one of these [prompts](https://brilliantbanshee.tumblr.com/post/624303506980044800/prompt-list)


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